Machine for cutting crackers



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J J. ITEN.

. MACHINE FOE CUTTING GRAGKERS. I No. 579,540 Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

QXJHPVLGOOW I lhviTnn STATES PATENT Oriana.

JOHN J. ITEN, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING CRACKERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,540, dated March23, 1897. Application filed October 22, 1896. Serial No. 609,710. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. ITEN, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Denver, Arapahoe county, State of Colorado, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cutting Crackers andmy preferred manner of carrying out the invention is set forth in thefollowing full, clear, and exact description, terminating with claimsparticularly specifying the novelty.

This invention relates to cracker-machines and the like,and moreparticularly to that class thereof which scores and cuts the crackerblank at the proper points; and the object of the same is to producecertain improvements in machines of this character.

To this end the invention consists in a ma chine adapted to score theblank passing along an apron and at proper intervals to out said blankentirely through, as well as in the details of construction by whichthese ideas are carried out, all as hereinafter described, and asillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the scoring and cutting machinery complete and a portion ofthe table which carries the apron. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3is a central longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a perspective detail of theimproved mechanism complete. Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevation of thefeed-pawl and its adjustable connection with the link. Fig. 6 is aperspective detail of the finished article.

In the said drawings the letter A designates a table or stand, at theleft of which (and not shown, as it forms no part of the presentinvention) is located the machine for making the crackers or the like,which are fed in a sheet therefrom onto the flexible sheet or apron B,that moves to the right over the top of the table in the constructionhere shown.

A is an upright carried by the table and vertically slotted, so as toform a guide at each side of the table, and in these guides moves across-piece A carrying a horizontal plate A on its lower side, whichplate in turn supports the gang of knives T.

A is the power-shaft, to which oscillating motion is given from anysuitable source of power, (not shown,) and A is a lever fast on thisshaft and connected, as at A with one end of the cross-piece, whilesimilar connection is made at the opposite side of the machine-therearside in Fig. 1. Thus at each movement of the shaft A the knife T iscaused to descend so as to cut partly into the upper side of thecracker-blank, both transversely and laterally thereof, and producescore-lines something after the order shown in Fig. 6. Heretofore,however, it has been necessary for the operator to manually break thescored blank at every, say, eighth score across the same in order toreduce the cakes to such size that they will enter the receptacleadapted for them, and the object of the present invention is to avoidthis manual labor, and hence dispense with the need for this operator byautomatically severing the crackerblank at predetermined intervalswithout interruptin g the scoring or the progressive stepby-stepmovement of the blank itself.

Coming now more particularly to the present invention, the letters 0 Cdesignate two fixed brackets projecting from and supported by theuprights A, and in these brackets are journaled two transverse shafts Dand E, which I will term, respectively, the feedshaft and theplate-shaft. The former is provided with some suitable friction deviceto prevent its too-easy rotation, and in the present instance I haveshown it as carrying a nut R, between which and one of the brackets O isan expansive spring S, coiled on the shaft. However, any other suitablefriction device could be employed. On one extremity of this shaft isfixed a ratchet F, means being provided for removing it and substitutingone with a greater or lesser number of teeth, for a purpose to appearbelow. Adjacent the ratchet F is also fixed on this shaft a cam G,having a notch G in its periphery.

Connected with the rock-lever A is a link J, whose other extremity ispivoted in a block H, which is guided longitudinally in a slot in onearm of a bell-crank lever 1-1, that is pivoted at its elbow on thefeed-shaft D, while the other end of this bell-crank lever carries thefeed-pawl O, that takes into the teeth of ratchet F.

H is a screw connected with the block H, passing through the extremityof this arm of the lever H and carrying a thumb-nut H by means of whichthe block may be adjusted toward or from the shaft D, so as to give agreater or lesser movement to the pawl 0. However, any other suitabledevice might be employed for adjusting the length of stroke which thispawl shall have.

The plate-shaft E has fixed thereto two pendent arms K and K, whoselower ends are connected by wires or rods M with a plate N, resting uponthe table A beneath the apron B, and one of the arms K is continuedupward, as at K and connected by a spring P with the bracket 0, so thatthe normal tendency of the spring is to rock the shaft E and its armsand draw the plate beneath the transverse knife Tin order that thedescent of the knife at. a point above the plate N will cause thecomplete severance of the cracker-blank instead of only scoring it, asotherwise; but the operation of the spring P is prevented by means ofthe cam-1ever L, fixed on the plateshaft or adj ustably mounted thereon,as here shown.

L is a screw pivoted to one arm of the shaft E and passing through onearm of the lever L, and L is a thumb-nut on this screw, by whoseadjustment the lower end of lever L is drawn nearer to or set fartherfrom the arm K, as will be seen. However, any other suitable means ofadjusting lever L on the shaft might be employed. The other (here theupper) end of the cam-lever Lrests upon the periphery of the cam G andis adapted to enter the notch G therein at proper moments, this notchbeing deep enough (or this arm of lever L short enough) to permit theplate-shaft E to rock sufficiently under tension of the spring P to drawthe plate N under the knife T, as will be clear.

All parts of this machine are of the desired sizes, shapes, proportions,and materials, and considerable change in the details of constructionmay be made without departing from the principle of my invention.

In operation the cracker-blank is formed by the cracker-machine at theleft (not shown) and is fed onto the sheet or apron B, which in turn hasan intermittent movement toward the right over the table A and plate N.The rock-shaft A causes the intermittent descent of the gang of knivesT, which, while operat ing upon or over the apron B only, will onlyscore the blank; but when the plate N is brought under the knives atproper intervals the descent of the knives upon the blank as sustainedby both apron and plate will cause the complete cutting off of thecracker-blank at this time.

The adjustment in Fig. 5 or its equivalent is for the purpose of causingthe pawl O to turn the ratchet F more or less rapidly, so as to regulatethe points at which the complete cutting of the blank shall occur. Theadjustment L L is for the purpose of causing the plate N to be movedmore or less farther beneath the gang of knives, so that when thecutting of the blank occurs it shall be but a transverse cut, or itshall also cut longitudinally of the blank, as desired. The adjustmentof the nut It is but to tighten or loosen the tension of spring S toadjust the friction on the feed-shaft D, so that the pawl O in itsbackward movement shall slip over the teeth of the ratchet F withoutturning it backward. As before stated, however, these forms ofadjustment could be replaced by others, or they could be omitted incheaper grades of machines. The cakes of finished crackers are deliveredby the apron B to a suitable receptacle forming no part of the presentinvention, and hence not illustrated.

What is claimed as new is- 1. In a machine of the character described,the combination with a fixed bed, an d a knife moving toward and awayfrom the same; of a flexible sheet over the bed, a plate beneath thesheet, and means for moving the plate beneath the knife at intervals, asand for the purpose set forth.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a fixedbed, and a knife moving toward and away from the same; of an apronmoving over the bed and beneath the knife when the. latter is raised, aplate beneath the apron, and means for moving the plate beneath theknife at intervals, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a machine for treating cracker-blanks and the like, thecombination with a table having upright guides, a cross-barreciprocating vertically therein, and a gang of trans verse andlongitudinal knives carried by the bar; of an apron moving over thetable, a plate beneath the apron, means for moving the plate beneath theknives at intervals, and an adjustment for regulating the distancebeneath the gang of knives to which the plate shall be moved, as and forthe purpose set forth.

4. In a cutting-machine, the combination with the bed, a knifereciprocating toward the same, and a plate adapted to slide upon the bedand beneath the knife; of a shaft having arms connected with the p1ate,aspring turning said shaft normally in one direction, a cam -leverconnected with the shaft, a notched cam upon whose periphery the tip ofsaid lever bears, and means for turning the cam, as and for the purposeset forth.

5. In a cutting-machine, the combination with the bed, a knifereciprocating toward the same, and a plate adapted to slide upon the bedand beneath the knife; of a shaft, arms fixed thereto and connected attheir outer extremities with said plate, a cam-lever mounted on theshaft, means for moving this lever at intervals, a screw pivoted to onearm and passing through said lever, and a nut on the screw against thelever, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a cutting-machine, the combination with the reciprocating knife, aplate movable beneath the same, a spring-pressed rock-shaft having armsconnected with said plate, and

a cam-lever carried by said shaft; of a second shaft, pawl-and-ratchetmechanism for turning this shaft intermittently in one direction, atension device thereon, and a notched cam also on this shaft and uponwhich said lever bears, as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a cuttingmachine, the combination with the reciprocating knife, aplate movable beneath the same, a rock-shaft connected with the platefor moving the latter, and a lever on said shaft; of a feed-shaft, anotched cam thereon beneath said lever, a ratchet fast on this shaft, abell-crank lever journaled at its elbow on this shaft, a pawl pivoted toone arm thereof and engaging said ratchet, the other arm beingslotted,an adjustable block within said slot and a reciprocating link pivoted insuch block, as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a cutting-machine, the combination with the reciprocating knife, aplate movable beneath the/same, a lever connected with the plate, and anotched cam with Whose periphery said lever engages; of a feed-shaft onwhich the cam is mounted, a ratchet removably attached to the shaft, abell-crank lever journaled on the shaft adjacent the ratchet and havinga pawl at one extremity engaging the ratchet, its other arm beingslotted longitudinally, a block guided in the slot, a screw attached tothe block, a nut on the screw against a fixed part of the lever-arm, anda reciprocating link connected with said block, as and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my signature on this the19th day of October, A. D. 1896.

JOHN J. ITEN,

Witnesses:

JOHN S. GIBoNs,

J OSEPH LEIF.

